Lesaffre announced a series of investments in the U.S. to strengthen its geographical footprint in the region. Lesaffre is investing in both new equipment and R&D to offer relevant solutions, while also respecting the planet’s limited resources. The company has been active in this market for 45 years, where it currently employs more than 600 people in its yeast, bacteria and baking ingredients factories, Baking Center and corporate headquarters.
“For 170 years, Lesaffre has offered solutions based on fermentation and micro-organisms that are ever more relevant given the food challenges of tomorrow,” said Brice-Audren Riché, CEO of Lesaffre. “At Lesaffre, we innovate every day to offer our customers solutions adapted to their needs, thanks to our global know-how. This is essential considering the major food challenges we face today and will face in the years to come. Being as close as possible to our customers is one of our priorities. The development of our geographical footprint in the United States is a key enabler to better serve every day our North American clients…”
10th fermentor for the yeast plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
To meet the growing demand in the nutrition and biotech sectors, Red Star Yeast, LLC, inaugurated a new fermentor on August 31. This additional capacity will serve the bakery, nutrition, health, and biotech sectors and offers flexibility to customers.
New dryer for the yeast extract plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
At its Cedar Rapids site, Lesaffre invested in a new dryer to meet the growing Phileo, Lesaffre Business Unit dedicated to animal nutrition and health customer demand, while taking a more respectful approach to the environment by limiting its CO2 emissions.
Genome engineering technology acquisition
Lesaffre acquired capabilities from a Massachusetts-based bioscience company that focuses on naturally derived molecules to benefit human health, which joins the Lesaffre Institute of Science and Technology. This investment expands capabilities in metabolic engineering for Lesaffre entity Recombia Biosciences, with new labs opening in November 2023.
This new investment will allow Lesaffre and Recombia to explore the potential of plant metabolites produced via precision fermentation processes in bacteria and yeasts, along with their multiple interactions with microorganisms. Recombia Biosciences, a biotechnology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area, was acquired by Lesaffre in 2022.
Photo: Fermentation tanks. Credit: Lesaffre
